Post by AK_Brickster on Mar 7, 2014 11:25:34 GMT -8

Do you have a question about how to use this awesome site? Feel free to ask it here!

Please read through the common questions / answers below prior to asking your question. There is a good chance that someone else has already asked it!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: Can I discuss non-brick-related topics here?

A: Please use the General Discussion forum for greetings, social interactions, discussions of random topics, and anything not related to castle/fantasy/architectural building. The occasional joke or pop culture reference within the context of a thread in one of the other forums is fine, but please don't derail ongoing threads and discussions. If you want to continue a discussion that has gone off-topic, please do so in General Discussions.

Q: How do you post pictures in the forum?

A0: There are multiple ways to post images here, some depending on the source of the image.

A1: URL - Embedding generic images with their URL is as easy as clicking the "Insert Image" button (Looks like a small landscape) in the editor bar above the create post text area and pasting the URL in the dialogue.

A: The Work in Progress and Completed Builds forums are for work that is in keeping with the theme of this site, namely, medieval history and fantasy. Please use the Miscellaneous Builds forum to show off your starships, mechs, tanks, and anything else that isn't castle- or fanasy-themed.

Q: How large an image can I include in a post? How many images can I include in a post?

A: For the time being, we have not specified hard-and-fast limits. Please use common sense. If you want to post a large image, then just post one, but even then try to keep it within about 1600x1200 (no larger than full-screen). If you're going to post half a dozen images, keep them small, maybe 300 x 200 pixels or so. 800 x 600 is likely big enough for the average forum post; you can always link to a higher-res photos hosted elsewhere, if needed.

Q: I just registered, but I wanted my name to be, "Sir John", and I could only register as "sirjohn". This is lame! How do I fix it?

A: Go to Profile > Edit Profile > Personal. From there, you can edit your display name. You will still use your register name of "sirjohn" to log in, but you can make it appear as "Sir John" on your forum profile.

Q: Are there specific rules about posts (e.g. double posting, etc.)?

A: There are currently no hard-and-fast rules. Again, please use common sense. Posting a response to someone's comment, then posting again to respond to a different part of a thread is fine. Posting over and over again to increase your post count, to bury someone else's comments, or to dominate a conversation is definitely not okay. Taking the time to write a thoughtful post that happens to be a little long is fine; having a single post longer than a Tolstoy novel is excessive.

Q: Is it okay to post leaked images of unannounced LEGO sets on Merlin's Beard forums?A: No. We want to be upstanding members of the LEGO community, and to maintain a good relationship with The LEGO Group. Please don't post unauthorized images, even if you have seen them on another web site, or even if you are at an event where an exclusive is being shown.

Q: What is a draft?A: A parts draft (or set draft, or just draft) is a process by which several people contribute parts (generally all by having bought the same set, though it can be done with combinations of similarly-sized sets) to a common pool, grouping the like elements into "lots", and then take turns choosing lots of the same element. (The term "draft" comes from sports teams drafting players, but in this case builders are drafting parts into their collections.) Generally the members of the draft must each have put in the same set or a collection of parts that all participants agree to be equivalent, then they draw numbers at random and begin drafting. This is most often done first-to-last then last-to-first. For example, if three people were involved in the draft, they might go in the order 1, 2, 3, then 3, 2, 1, then back to 1, 2, 3, and so on until all of the lots had been claimed. Minors must obtain parental consent before participating.Q: What is a parts jambalaya?A: A parts jambalaya (or just jambalaya) is a process by which several people agree to exchange parts in a free-form way. Generally an organizer and several other interested builders agree to do a jambalaya exchange with a certain theme such as castle parts, fantasy parts, landscaping parts, etc. The organizer then puts together a mixed collection of some elements from his or her collection and gives the collection to the next builder in a predetermined order. That builder then chooses a few parts from the collection, adds a few parts from his/her own collection of roughly equal or greater value to the other participants, and then passes the collection to the next builder in the order. The process repeats through all builders in the order, at which point the last builder sends the collection back to the organizer (who then gets a different collection of parts than he or she placed in the collection at the outset). Minors must obtain parental consent before participating.

Q: Wow, Drafts and Jambalayas sound cool! Can I host one, or do I have to ask permission first?A: First and foremost, we want to make sure that the people who are hosting these events on our forum are trustworthy individuals, since the nature of the events usually requires sending them money, LEGOs, or both! In order to protect participants, hosts must have a +10 feedback rating on the Buy/Sell/Trade Feedback Thread in order to host a draft or jambalaya. Those with lower than +10 feedback must receive permission from a site administrator and may be denied or approved on a case-by-case basis.(positive feedback can be attained by successfully participating in a draft or jambalaya hosted by someone else, or by successfully completing a trade with another member of the forum).

Post by David on Mar 10, 2014 12:12:45 GMT -8

I have some questions in related to posting on this site that I did not see covered in the ToS. Perhaps I overlooked them?

-What are the rules for posting "leaked" LEGO images with possible watermarks? Should these be avoided entirely?

-Are there a set number of pictures I am limited to posting per post?

-Is there a set size an image should be when it is posted?

-What about double posting? Is this frowned upon similar to other forums?

-I am allowed to joke about anything at all, or will I get banned? In joking about joking just now, are you going to drop a banhammer on me? (I am just being facetious!)

-Is there a limit to the number of smiley's I can post per post?

-The general forum is for general discussions regarding LEGO only, right?

Greetings!

-I am going to talk to everyone about leaked images. Personally I could care less and love to see new pics, but one of our goals is to reach out to TLG for potential support and recognition as a new member of the online community. I don't want to do anything to alienate them as we may be able to potentially pass some benefits onto members.

-I get why some sites put limits on pictures, but I think we can be a bit more relaxed until it becomes an issue. The main thing is we don't want to slow the site too much as large images can slow site down. Maybe we can have a poll on how many images and what size. I will bring this up with the team.

-I don't think you are going to hear much from anyone on double posting unless it becomes obnoxious.

-Great question about joking. This is one of the main areas I want to focus on here; FUN! We aren't going to go crazy on off topic posts and encourage people to have discussion here. The only thing we want to avoid is if people bash each other. Basically, be excellent to each other.

- I think the limit of smileys is 42?

- The general discussion area is for general everyday discussion. This is your community and if you want to talk about crazy Russian videos, please do. The only thing I would ask is that we keep it pg, pg-13 as I don't want to discourage younger builders and as a parent with a 9 year old, I want my boys to be able to participate when they get older without their mother crushing me

Post by David on Mar 10, 2014 12:17:15 GMT -8

I concur. LEGO is very serious business and should be treated as such.

To offer even more questions, what are the rules in relation to the B/S/T thread.

Do we need Admin approval before hosting drafts and jambalayas? Are we allowed to host them here?

Thanks guys, for your responses!

I will get back to you on the B/S/T thread and Drafts, etc, but the main thing is we want to make sure that people participating aren't going to get burned by other members. Is seems reasonable to me that If someone is a trusted member of the community, that it would be appropriate for them to host an event such as this. I will ask for feedback from the team on this.

Post by Schmidt on Mar 10, 2014 17:22:20 GMT -8

Thanks David, for your efficient responses!

In relation to the leaked image policy, I agree with your thoughts. Perhaps in the future this could be a recognized forum by TLG that may even entail an Ambassador title for someone. That makes perfect sense to be smart with images related to upcoming sets. I think it is wise to develop as strong as ties as possible with TLG.

Post by AK_Brickster on Mar 10, 2014 20:11:45 GMT -8

Just to piggy-back on what David said, I think if everyone uses common sense, then we don't need to have a lot of strict rules on max size and quantity.

If you want to post a large image, then just post one. If you're going to post half a dozen images, keep them small, like 200x300 or something.

As for max size, I think the same rule applies. Probably no need to go 2000x3000 pixels. 600x800 is likely big enough for the forum, and you can link to higher-res photos hosted elsewhere, if needed.

For Jambalaya and Drafts, maybe we should require 10+ positive transactions in order to host, and as long as you have that, no need to request permission. Those with fewer than +10 must request permission and can be approved or denied on a case-by-case basis.(the +10 could include positive feedback from another site, like Eurobricks or Classic Castle.)

Post by Schmidt on Mar 10, 2014 20:37:33 GMT -8

Hey Jordan,

I think your idea on +10 positive transactions is very suiting in regards to drafts and jambalayas.

The reason I mentioned it, is because with the kick-off of the new site, I thought it might be neat to (maybe in a month or so, when member count has risen considerably) have a kick-off jambalaya and/or draft, exclusive to those on this forum, to raise everyone's spirits about the site. Of course, I wouldn't mind to host those

Just some food for thought.

Once again guys, many thanks for your tireless efforts to the site and answers to my never-ending questions!

Post by Sir Valiant~ on Mar 14, 2014 12:48:21 GMT -8

Hey guys! Great site we have here so far! I have a few questions though:

- I would like my name to be Sir Valiant~ but the sign-up doesn't allow fancy things like this: ~ or spacing for some reason?

If that could change that would be great! Just read the FAQ!

-Also I thing that I see as a huge need for any forum is NO FOUL LANGUAGE. Classic Castle has been running smoothly for many years and they do not allow and cursing, or swearing of any kind. As a young person, I see this as something that needs to be implemented to create a clean, healthy environment for all LEGO fans. LEGO is a toy focused on kids, and even though we may be teens and adults, we should respect LEGO as our hobby while keeping it clean at the same time. And for goodness sake if you are look for a word to describe someone's MOC use a thesaurus! We're old enough to think of something more than four letter words.....!

Post by AK_Brickster on Mar 28, 2014 12:32:30 GMT -8

When you change to a LARGE FONT IN A DIFFERENT COLOR, just click the color wheel and select black before typing your next words. Additionally, there is a "BBCode" tab at the bottom of the reply box that will allow you to see the source code, which many of us are familiar with from our time on other BBCode-based forums.